The Handley Page Hampden was a British twin engined bomber flown by the RCAF during the Second World War in Canada and overseas. The Hampden served in the early stages of the war, bearing the brunt of the early bombing war over Europe, taking part in the first night raid on Berlinand in the first 1000-bomber raid on Cologne.

The Hampden in RCAF service included the 160 examples manufactured in Canada by the Victory Aircraftconsortium. Of the total built, 84 were shipped by sea to Great Britain, while the remainder came to Patricia Bay (Victoria Airport) BC, to set up No. 32 OTU (RAF) used for bombing and gunnery training. Typical exercises at 32 OTU consisted of patrolling up the West Coast of Vancouver Island at night or flying out into the Pacific to a navigational map co-ordinate, often in adverse and un-forecast inclement weather. Due to attrition from accidents, about 200 "war weary" Hampdens were later flown from the UK to Pat Bay as replacements. The Hampden was flown by:

Hampden of No 408 (Goose) Squadron, RCAF, as aircrew return from a flight, Balderton in Nottinghamshire on 20 January 1942. (IWM Photo, CH 4742)

(Author Photos, 2003)

(Author Photos, 26 Jan 2019)

Handley Page (Victory) HP 52 Hampden Mk. I, RCAF (Serial No. P5436), HL-B, powered by a pair of 1000 hp Bristol Pegasus XVIII engines. P5436 is a Canadian-built Hampden. It was only flown for 100 hours before it crashed near Patricia Bay on 15 Nov 1942, during a torpedo dropping practice run. Although the aircraft sank in 600 feet of water, the 4-man crew survived and was picked up by a Stranraer flying boat shortly after the crash. The aircraft was fairly complete when it was recovered but badely corroded and fragile. Recovery was achieved with the aid of a remotely controlled submarine aided by a video camera. Restoration of P5436 was achived using components from other Hampden crash sites in the rebuild. It is currenly on display with the Canadian Museum of Flight, Langley, British Columbia.